The Misfortunes of the Heart
by Teafully
Summary: Destiny and fate are merely siblings with their own ideals and principles, setting themselves strictly apart from each other, even though most believe that they are very much the same. I suppose that's what outsiders think of the Inuzuka and Nekomura clans as well.
1. Robin

Chapter One: Robin

"So, how was last night while I was working overtime?"

"None of your business. If anything, Temari and I finally got some peace and quiet without you and yours constantly interrupting our night like you always do."

I huffed; a strand of my black hair straying into my eyelash as it sashayed back and forth across my back as I glared at my longtime roommate, Shikamaru Nara. He stared down at me with the snidest face I had ever seen, and I stopped to fix my hair. The single braid draped around my forehead, much like a crown, was unique only to me. Braids were the defining style of the Nekomura clan, and I wasn't about to break tradition by letting my braid down, even though I often heavily considered it.

"You know what?" I fired back as I finally fixed my hair. "I was in my unit until the crack of dawn, delivering _twins_ into this world, and you've got the _nerve_ to tell me that I'm a nuisance! Also, how _dare_ you refer to Kiyoshi and I in such a disrespectful way–!"

"You know, Kairi," Shikamaru had stopped, ignoring my spiel entirely, just like he always did with a lax smile plastered to his face. "You _really_ need to stop taking my words so seriously."

I tightened into a relaxed, prideful pose with my hands clasped in front of my being, fearsomely staring up at Shikamaru, though my wide, gray eyes never really seemed to cause him to waver in the slightest. The black tattoos of claw marks adorned on each of my cheeks stretched in the reflection of myself in his eyes as I smiled dangerously.

"Well, you're just lucky Kiyoshi isn't here to let you know she doesn't enjoy being talked down upon as well."

The skies above us were only slightly dotted with the presence of clouds. The warm, summer day beat down upon us as we traveled back to Shikamaru home across town, side-by-side like we always did. At times, I couldn't help but smile when I thought of how we had first met when I had arrived at the doorstep of Konoha: with that same irksome tone that he often used around me. Though, I couldn't find it in myself to be mad at him for it – after our bond grew from strangers to near-siblings, that same tone had grown on me.

 _He's damn lucky that I tolerate it, too!_

Shikamaru's home peeked out from behind the brush of the quiet outskirts of the bustling city of Konohagakure; its downplayed demeanor had always given off an air of calm in the hype city, and a blonde woman sat on the steps awaiting our arrival. I heaved a heavy sigh as I watched her deep green eyes dart from Shikamaru to me. The hostility in them was obvious.

"What the hell were you boneheads up to _this_ time? Leaving me alone with that damn cub! I even had to relocate _outside_ because I wasn't sure if it was going to eat me or not!"

Upon seeing the distress painted across her face up close, I couldn't help but laugh as Shikamaru let out a pained breath, pinching the bridge of his nose briefly before advancing toward the feisty woman.

"Temari, watch your language," Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the back of his neck briefly before offering her a hand to help her stand up, which she readily refused. "I was simply escorting Kairi back home before she fell asleep on her feet. You've _seen_ how tiring it is being in the medical unit past posted hours – besides, _you_ were the one who kicked me out of _my own house_ to 'get some air', remember? Troublesome woman."

I briefly stopped laughing to wipe the budding tears out of my eyes, saying the first thing that popped into my head at the mention of Kiyoshi:

"Kiyoshi wouldn't eat you! After all, she's still a cub and wouldn't be able to take on such large game for a meal!"

Immediately, I realized the repercussions of what I had just said, and without waiting for the inevitable slap that I would receive, I quickly made my way around Temari and shut the door behind me, where Temari's unhappy grumbles slowly turned into angry ones:

" _Shikamaru_! Are you just going to let her _get away_ with saying _that_ to me? Useless!"

"I thought you could take care of yourself."

Shikamaru's deadpanned reply was so indisputably vicious that I stationed herself beside the door in curiousity, holding my mouth to keep the laughter in as Temari stuttered out her answer:

"I-I can! It-it'd just be nice to have backup for once, _especially_ from the man that you put all of your responsibilities in your home village to the side for! Speaking of, why the _hell_ can't we _ever_ get any time for ourselves without _her_ around to make my blood boil?"

"Well, in Kairi's case, she wasn't wrong. With Kiyoshi being as small as she is, it'd be impossible for her to eat you, Temari. In fact, it'd be statistically impossible for Kiyoshi to kill you in the _first_ place, given the circumstances. I'm not going to back you when your stance is incorrect and impractical. Anyway, it's been _months_ since you've moved in with us, Temari. It'd be nice if you stopped being so troublesome and got along with each other."

" _Augh!_ Forget it! Why do you always have to baby her? Why does she have to stay _here_ anyway? If she wasn't in my hair all of the time, maybe I'd make more of an effort to not hate the _shit_ out of her!"

I had only just begun to step away from the door with the remnants of laugher on my face, but at Temari's sudden coldness toward my existence, the smile faded away and was replaced with my own genuine dislike for her as well. Ever since Temari had moved in with Shikamaru and I, the tenseness in the household had gone to astronomical levels. I couldn't help myself in teasing Temari, since she was _such_ an easy target, but I never thought that I'd ever taken it too far – or at least, far enough to make the aggressive Sunagakure woman _hate_ me.

 _I've never said anything outright_ _horrible_ _to her… just what the hell did I do to make her so angry with me? I've only been harmlessly jabbing at her… right?_

I shook my head to clear it as I thought about the delightful bundle of fur that was probably waiting for me in the kitchen; Kiyoshi – my companion and best friend who just so happened to be a white tiger cub. In the Nekomura clan, it is custom to have a feline companion alongside of you, no matter what kind, and the white tiger cub had chosen me of her own accord. Having been separated from her family and nowhere else to turn, I had taken her in and cared for her, leading to the two of us to become nearly inseparable.

I reached the small kitchen, finding Kiyoshi lounging on the floor near her empty food bowl. The cub let out a yawn and pawed at her nose as if it itched, glancing at me with her icy eyes. Just the sight of her makes my heart melt every time – it was always calming to know that when I got home, not _everyone_ wanted me to leave.

"You weren't _actually_ going to eat Temari, were you?"

Just the thought made me smile as I put Temari's harsh words out of my mind and crouched to itch Kiyoshi's exposed belly.

 _She didn't mean it… or at least, I don't think she did… whatever. I'm not going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me upset over this._

Kiyoshi stared back at me, letting out a tired, quiet meow.

"Didn't think so!" I laughed at the relaxed reply of my companion. "I'll fill your bowl, but then I've got to go to sleep! I'm tired as hell."

As I stood to get into the cabinet where Kiyoshi's food was kept, the front door slammed. Light, quick footsteps faded up the stairs where another door promptly slammed shut. I could only roll my eyes at this point: this _always_ happened when Temari and Shikamaru discussed my antics. Temari would always get angry and run upstairs and shut their door and cry for hours, and Shikamaru would do his thing and blatantly ignore her until she calmed down.

Rinse and repeat.

The front door closed quietly again and Shikamaru rounded the corner into our kitchen, looking exasperated.

"What a pain," he sighed, rubbing his face with his hand before searching for a glass in the cabinets alongside me. I had just pulled out the soft food that Kiyoshi had recently taken a liking to as he continued softly: " _Why_ does she always have to be so temperamental all the time?"

"I'm sure she'll calm down like always." I slowly scraped the last of the soft food into Kiyoshi's bowl and stood up once again, staring at Shikamaru as he turned on the sink to fill the small, shiny glass that he had gotten out. Yet, I couldn't find it in myself to beat around the bush about their fight. "I heard what she said about me out there."

Shikamaru took a long swig of the water that came out of the tap, released a hefty breath, and dragged his eyes toward me. They were unreadable now.

"What; do you think I believe what she said?"

Shamefully, I brought my gaze down to Kiyoshi, who quietly ate her meal without giving any indication that she cared about the important conversation. I glanced back up at him before sitting beside Kiyoshi, who continued to feed.

"Sometimes, I can't help but wonder if your lives would be better if I just moved out. I mean, it can't be _too_ hard to find my own place; just for Kiyoshi and I. I–"

"Listen to yourself. You're being ridiculous," Shikamaru had finished his drink and immediately began to wash the dish that he had dirtied without looking my way. "I offered you a place to stay and I don't mind your company. I don't know what her problem is with you, but I've told her time and time again that whatever it is, she needs to cut it out."

"After all," there was an awkward silence between us as Shikamaru began to dry the glass before putting it away. As he put the newly-cleaned dishware into the cabinet above his head, he paused before closing the cabinet door, muttering so softly that I almost needed to lean forward to hear what the last part of his sentence was: "She doesn't know why you're so reluctant to move out. I haven't told her the _real_ reason why we're roommates. She doesn't understand."

I widened my pupils unintentionally, allowing them to nearly erase the presence of my irises, much like a fearful feline. Shock filled my limbs as I shot up from my spot next to Kiyoshi, whose hackles rose at my sudden movement before continuing to eat:

" _She doesn't know_? What do you _mean_ she 'doesn't know'?! You haven't told her?"

Shikamaru shrugged, finally closing the closet and turning toward me with conviction present in his demeanor.

"No. I've been hoping that she would reform herself without that extra bit of information, that way when I did finally get around to telling her, it wouldn't feel like a guilt trip. Now, I'm seriously considering it. This is simply getting too out-of-hand. I mean, I love her, but she needs to realize that I'm not going to simply drop you because she told me to. I usually do whatever women want to avoid this situation, but I'm not bending that far."

I was quiet for a moment, mulling over Shikamaru's reasoning. Sure, he was usually right in situations like this one – a lesson that I had learned the hard way – yet I couldn't help but wonder that if I decided to let the couple live in peace… their problems might just go away.

 _I'm the cause of their grief. If I was out of the picture, Shikamaru and Temari might not fight at least once every couple of days._

"It doesn't help that you're always defending me – I don't want to be the cause for the end of your relationship," I finally closed my eyes and released the gross feeling of being a liability that I had always felt when discussing Temari and her inherent dislike for me. "I know that you two have been particularly rough these past couple of weeks. You don't have to defend me anymore."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to respond to me, but footsteps interrupted whatever he was going to say: Temari stood in the empty doorway to the kitchen, the porcelain skin around her eyes red with stress and those green eyes tainted with tears.

"Alright," the tough woman appeared to swallow the lump in her throat, though her gaze remained sharp as her eyes skated over me and finally found themselves on Shikamaru. "Just what the _hell_ are you playing at?"

I stiffened at the coldness in Temari's voice, and Kiyoshi looked up from her meal, her large eyes on Temari's angry stance. Shikamaru slowly stood up straight, approaching Temari from the left side.

"What–?"

"Don't come any closer!" Temari shouted at him, causing him to freeze in place out of confusion. "Just tell me what the hell is going on!"

I opened my mouth to speak in Shikamaru's place, but Temari's gaze shot to me in an instant. "I'm not talking to you, so just stay out of it!"

With that, I slowly became a spectator, watching Shikamaru put his hand up to the bridge of his nose.

"Just what the hell are you on about _now_?"

"You know what I mean! Between you and her! I heard _everything_ so don't think you can hide anything from me like you have been! And don't think I won't hesitate to walk right out if I think for even a _second_ you're lying to me!"

Sensing the haziness of the situation, my eyes widened as I started toward Temari, against my better judgment.

"Can't we do this in a quieter–"

Without warning, Temari took off in my direction, her eyes glinting like an animal that spotted its first prey of the night as she rose her fist to my face.

" _I'm not talking to–_ _! "_

I glanced to her left and right frantically, and upon seeing there was nowhere that I could quickly escape to, I immediately shut my eyes and covered my face with my hands like I always did, hoping somehow the danger would disappear if I couldn't see it. It was a last resort – a shutdown of sorts – that I always seemed to initiate when I felt that there was no escape from a situation or an idea.

Upon the moment of supposed impact, I held my breath, but only sounds of suppressed anger could be heard above the furious pumping of my own heart. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes to see Shikamaru restraining Temari with both arms tucked up as he locked both of her arms so that they were useless.

"Kairi, leave this to me!" Shikamaru shouted over Temari's slew of swear words directed in my general direction. " _I'll_ talk to her! Just get out of the house!"

I was frozen in fear. I let my eyes shift frantically from Temari's livid face to Shikamaru's desperate one, and slowly all sound began to fade from existence out of pure fear.

During Shikamaru and Temari's fights, there were times when Temari would manage to slap me or curse me out, which never really was a big deal to me. Typically, I deserved some of the swears and some of the slaps, but this was completely different. Temari had approached me in a manner that _showed_ her intent to injure me, and Shikamaru had never had to physically restrain her before.

 _What do I do? Holy shit, what do I_ _do_ _?_

"Kairi! Dammit, did you hear me? Just get out of the house, okay? I can handle this!"

Shikamaru's voice finally broke through my system shutdown and I bolted past Temari's swinging fists to the front door and down into the forest behind Shikamaru's home without even looking to see if Kiyoshi had followed me out.

I didn't stop running until I felt myself stumble over my own feet.

"Shit!"

I hit the ground, falling onto my left side and pinning my left arm beneath my body, but instead of scrambling to get up and continue to run through the forest until I was met with the bustling city of Konohagakure, I couldn't find it in myself to move from my position on the ground. A wet tongue slithered across my forehead and Kiyoshi pawed at my nose like she always did, as if to wake me from sleep.

"It's alright, Kiyoshi. I'm just going to lie here for a while."

No matter how stressful the situation, I had pushed back tears from the beginning of this altercation. I wasn't going to let Temari be the reason why I wasted energy. Yet, now I could feel the familiar lump breeding in my throat.

"I _knew_ today was going to be horrible." I laughed softly to Kiyoshi, who now sat beside my head as if to comfort me. The lump began to tighten in my throat. "My horoscope told me it would be especially tense today."

Kiyoshi whined a familiar answer to me, and I managed to laugh at what she had said, though my eyes had begun to fill with tears.

"You _know_ I can't skip my horoscope readings, and you know how they're typically right. If anything, I should take this fortune-telling stuff more seriously!"

The words were meant to be a light-hearted jab at myself, but instead, the two sentences tasted bitter on my tongue and the familiar burning sensation seared my throat. To anyone else, the meaning of those words should have been just that – listening to the horoscopes. Yet, to me, these same words had a whole other meaning that took me back to a much scarier, tense time in my life.

In my mind, unlike Temari, it was this grim reminder of my past that was allowed to beckon tears rather than this situation. The more I knew this, the more I lessened my will to keep from crying.

Lying in the grass beside my companion, I finally felt those tears begin to run down my cheeks.

* * *

"Kairi! Are you okay?"

A deep voice startled me out of sleep. I realized the long night that I had had whilst delivering those twins must have caught up to me as I slowly sat up to see none other than Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru's best friend, staring down at me with a worried grimace on his face.

"Oh, hey Choji. Yeah, I'm good. Just taking a little dirt nap, if you get my drift."

Despite the reminder of my past lingering in my headspace, I managed to choke out the best line I had come up with. Even Choji couldn't help but laugh at that one.

"Man, I guess you really _are_ okay, otherwise you wouldn't be joking like that! Shikamaru called me out and sent me over to get you and tell you to be on your way home. Want me to walk you over there?"

"Why not?" I stood and watched Kiyoshi blink her eyes open as well. When I stood, I glanced down at my feet to see wet dirt where my face had been… where I had cried. Quickly, I wiped my face and slid my foot over the dirt, trying to cover it up. "But, do you think we could take the long way… like always?"

Choji seemed to be one-step ahead of me, walking in the direction toward the busy streets, a certain pep in his step. When he finally turned back to me, the caring look on his face told me he had already put together the pieces.

"Like always."

* * *

Choji and I stopped by all of the usual spots – the infamous barbecue place that Choji loved for the pork, the Yamanaka Flower Shop that I loved because of my gardening fixation, and we even managed to pass by Ichiraku's before Choji stopped abruptly.

"Hey Kairi, think Shikamaru can wait a little longer than usual? I'm feeling up to some pork ramen right about now!"

Before I could even formulate an answer, Naruto Uzumaki and another individual stepped out of the booth.

"And I couldn't even _believe_ that the fish was _this_ big–! Hey, Choji, Kairi! Whatcha doing, hanging around here?"

Naruto turned his bright smile toward me, causing me to immediately feel better than I had earlier; though we were never particularly close, Naruto had always been friendly and nice to me and I couldn't fault him for that. Though he was sometimes a bit much and sometimes didn't get my jokes, I had always liked this kid.

"Naruto! It's a bummer that you've already finished eating – I was about to challenge you to a contest!" Choji shook his head shamefully, yet Naruto crossed his arms over his chest proudly. "Who said I was finished? I've _always_ got room for ramen!"

I couldn't help but laugh along with the two old friends, but my laughter came to an abrupt halt when I laid eyes on the person beside Naruto. For the second time in twenty-four hours, my processing shut down as I recognized the sole object of my true fear:

Kiba Inuzuka.

With the blood-red tattoos of fangs upon his cheeks, much like the black claw marks on hers, ever since our first meeting, he had scared the living hell out of me.

Within the Nekomura clan, speaking of the Inuzuka clan was considered taboo, so naturally the only things that I had ever heard of the Inuzuka clan were terrifying nursery rhymes that ended with being ravaged by dogs. However, finally seeing one in person was all the more terrifying when the first thing out of his mouth was the dreaded name that he had come to know me by:

"Hey, pussy cat! I didn't think I'd have to see _you_ today!"

As always, I felt myself get defensive. I could see the dangerous look in his eyes, akin to that of Temari's that she had sported earlier; the one that animals gave their prey before lunging for the kill.

It was because of the tensions between our bloodlines that I took every step possible to make sure that I would never have to run into the Inuzuka, simply because I was afraid of what might happen if we so happened to be alone together, though I knew the outcome: he would rip me _apart_ if he had the chance. That easily-disguised hatred that he sported was only decipherable to the one it was meant for, and that was me.

Without waiting for my answer, as if I was going to even give him one, Kiba shrugged, his black jacket shining underneath the sun's blissful rays. The large, white dog by his side, Akamaru, had Kiyoshi hiding behind my right leg as if she were ready to flee the scene, but the dog hardly took much notice of the cub.

"Let's go, Naruto. I'm sure Choji and pussy cat have stuff to do."

With that, Kiba and his dog walked in the opposite direction that Choji and I had been heading, to my silent relief.

"I _really_ don't understand that guy!" Naruto began his rant as Kiba disappeared among the citizens. "One moment, he's really cool and listens to what I have to say, and the next, he's ditching me and subtly talking trash! What's his _problem_ , anyway?"

Before answering Naruto, I took a last glance around and inhaled through my nose, making sure all traces of the Inuzuka had disappeared before finally speaking out:

"It's because of me."

Both Choji and Naruto turned toward me in succession, as Naruto exclaimed:

"What's he got against _you_ , Kairi? I don't think I've ever even seen you two have a legitimate _conversation_!"

I cut a glance at Choji, who had knitted his eyebrows together with obvious concern over the issue, but I turned toward Naruto as I took another cautionary glance around.

"Well, as you probably know, I'm from the Nekomura clan and he's from the Inuzuka clan. It's obvious that our clans don't get along – why do you think the Nekomura clan doesn't reside in the Land of Fire? I know for a fact he wants to tear me apart and that he _would_ if ever presented with the chance. I just don't want conflict, but he's always trying to lure me into a confrontation."

" _Please_!" Naruto let out a relaxed laugh, slapping me on the shoulder with his open palm. "As if someone the likes of _Kiba_ would have the guts to try something around _me_! Don't forget that _I'm_ the one who kicked his ass in the Chunin Exams back in the day! I _still_ can't believe that was so many years ago…"

The stress of the situation disappeared with the thought of the story, and I even brought myself to visibly relax and laugh along as well. While I hadn't been there, it was one of the first stories that Naruto had sat down and told to me about life in the village before I had arrived. It gave me comfort to know that people like Naruto wouldn't sit by and just let Kiba start an unwarranted fight.

"Kairi, don't you think you should be headed home?"

Choji prodded my shoulder with a gentle smile plastered across his face. The sky had begun to redden as the day began to come to a close, and I motioned to Kiyoshi, who had found a comfortable spot in the dirt to lie in once Kiba and Akamaru had finally left.

"You're right, Choji. I think I can find my way back from here. Shikamaru's probably going to give me _another_ lecture about wandering off. I'll catch you guys later!"

With a wave in both Choji and Naruto's direction, Kiyoshi and I took off in the direction of Shikamaru's home. The citizens in the streets became a blur to me as I focused solely on the objective; returning home. Yet, a familiar scent crossed my nose seconds before a sudden impact. I hit my head onto someone's chest, and I bounced back onto my ass. Kiyoshi had let out a surprised yelp and stopped as well, cowering in front of me as I felt my heartbeat begin to speed up.

"What do _you_ want?"

I asked the question quietly as the menacing glare of the Inuzuka bore into my face. The disgusting leer on his face told me everything I needed to know about this confrontation, and I knew I wasn't getting off easy. He _knew_ I was afraid of him, and he took every chance he could get to capitalize on it.

"Just curious as to why you're particularly skittish today, pussy cat," Akamaru stood by his side and sniffed in Kiyoshi's general direction, causing the cub to race to safety behind me. "Did I _scare_ you?"

I weighed my options and took a deep breath as adrenaline began to make its rounds through my veins and I finally met his sharp gaze. I bravely mustered up the courage to confront him today, but I was careful to avoid a direct altercation:

"I'm not scared! I-I'm just trying to get home."

The stutter obviously gave my fear away, and Kiba responded haughtily as a nasty smirk crawled up his face.

"Alright, I'll let you go, but you're gonna have to do one thing for me," he cracked his neck and reasserted himself through standing even closer to where I sat on the ground, giving me little room to escape. "Just admit to me that you're afraid of me and I'll let you go. That's not _too_ bad, is it?"

It was nothing new when he did catch me off-guard to assert his dominance over me through these common fear tactics. To an outsider, they seemed like playful words that were used for teasing, but between us, members of the Inuzuka and Nekomura clan respectively, we both knew the weight of what was really going on between us.

"I'm not going to admit something so stupid that isn't even fact! Just let me go home already!"

I stood up and cautiously made sure to have my gaze firmly meet his, taking care to not waver it like last time. Adrenaline continued to fuel my more-than-likely bad decisions as I tightened my fists, even though I could feel my heart beating nearly out of my chest. Kiyoshi had backed away from the confrontation, watching Akamaru with extreme attentiveness.

"You're _joking_ , right, pussy cat?" Kiba let out a laugh and stared down at me, attempting to intimidate me further, and I could feel it working. "I can see it on your face. I'm _everything_ you're afraid of. I'm your worst nightmare. Don't forget _you're_ the only one of your kind around here and _my_ clan lives here. You're outnumbered."

"So what?" I backed away, allowing myself a possible escape route, as I stood up for myself. "I'm not afraid of you _or_ your clan!"

"How long are you going to lie to yourself?" Kiba answered simply, crossing the distance that I had put between the two of us in three steps. "I'm not asking for anything special; I just want you to admit it."

I glanced at Kiyoshi, whose back-fur had risen in fear of the tense situation, and I stared back at my aggressor.

 _I'm putting an end to this._

"I'm not going to admit _anything_ ," I resolved, stepping past Kiba and putting myself between Akamaru and Kiyoshi. I'd protect the cub and let myself get torn apart if need be. "Stay away from me."

The adrenaline had begun to fade and was rapidly being replaced with fatigue, but it wasn't as if I could let that show at a time like this. Those prideful, slits of eyes that the Inuzuka analyzed me with had slowly become unreadable as he studied me.

 _If he notices that I'm about to fall asleep on my feet, he won't hesitate. That I know for certain._

"Tch," Kiba finally huffed, turning his gaze away from me and beckoning Akamaru away with just the tilt of his head. "Fine, whatever. Keep lying to yourself all you want – it's not like _I_ care – _especially_ when I know the truth anyway."

With that, Kiba began to walk in the opposite direction once again, but he turned to me one last time, sending shivers up my spine with the obvious hatred in his face:

"You're not as strong as you act like you are. I know that for a fact... and I think you do, too."

* * *

I kept one eye peeled behind me at all times, making sure that the Inuzuka wouldn't ambush me as I kept to a slow pace for the rest of the trip home. After all, this was a rare occasion; I had fought him off without any backup today. I hadn't cried, I hadn't panicked, I had answered him and refused without wavering… and I knew that it might not sit well with him.

 _Odds are, he_ _knows_ _I'm alone. I wouldn't put it past him to try and take me out now – especially after I mouthed off to him back there._

The sun had almost completely disappeared behind the trees by the time I arrived on Shikamaru's doorstep. I felt around the wooded face of the home until I found the crevice that housed the key to his home and I proceeded let myself in.

To my surprise, it was quiet, and a hissy Temari was nowhere to be seen or heard… but neither was Shikamaru. Curious, Kiyoshi and I peeked into the kitchen, but the lights were off and no one could be seen in there, either. Not a sound was heard, and not even Kiyoshi seemed to be suspicious of movement.

Realizing I was alone, I finally gave in to letting my guard down, sighing heavily and walking out of the kitchen and into the darkened living room. In the dark, I slid down onto the flooring and began to catch my breath. Yet, the calm in me slipped away in an instant when I quickly realized that I wasn't so alone in the dark room:

"Where the _hell_ have you been? I've been waiting for you."

* * *

 _Side note 1:_ _Anything that's in italics and underlined means that someone is yelling. I just don't like how it makes the page look if I capitalize every letter. Anything solely in italics is Kairi's thoughts._

 _Side note 2:_ _I personally found it really difficult to find a place where this entire storyline can take place within the Naruto storyline, so we're gonna say that this is an AU sometime in Shippuden during a period where nothing plotwise is going on. However, rather than being 17, everyone is 18 years old unless otherwise specified._

 _Side note 3 :_ _Before classifying Kairi as a whiny, annoying character, consider the following: how do the people you know react under pressure? When they're afraid? What kinds of trauma have you or someone else gone through to cause extreme reactions to such stress? Just because this is anime doesn't mean that people are suddenly immune to fear and are therefore immune to having what I refer to as a "system shutdown". Every time I write realistic characters, people pick the humanity out of them until there is nothing left but a Mary Sue… and then they pick_ _that_ _apart because no one likes Mary Sues! I base all of my characters off of traits that I have seen people in my life exhibit. I don't make Kairi feel fear so she can look 'cute'. I make her feel fear because fear is a normal human encounter… and for some, fear is something they have to live with constantly. Wow, I hope that didn't come off as a rant…_

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

Okay, I know this whole spiel has been done a million times in the Naruto-verse, but this is a better, semi-rewritten version of an old story I wrote a long time ago. Need an explanation? Keep reading:

Four years ago, I wrote a Naruto fic with a premise similar to this and man, let me tell you, it was _ass_. I was in eighth grade going into ninth (middle school going into high school) and I wasn't very great at writing at the time. Now, I'm ready to attend college in the fall. However, I recently read that story again and I decided "hey, this story would be brilliant if I just rewrote it with the life skills and experience that I have now!" guess what? I'm doing just that!

This will also not be a traditional rewrite: I took everything that was wrong with that story and fixed it, therefore transforming this story into a brand-new masterpiece with a new plot and everything.

As for Kairi's backstory, I'll let onto that later so that it can be a surprise, so if it seems a little ambiguous right now, it was completely intentional! Totally-vague hint: it has something to do with "horoscopes", so that will be a recurring thing.

Also, if you can't already tell, I'm a fan of cliffhangers, so get ready for that.

I'm just here to have fun. Let me know if you like what you see!

~Teafully~


	2. Grackle

_Quick note: I changed the POV to first-person because I wanted to stay true to the original and truly compare my progress. If you want to go back and reread, I definitely invite you to do so, but I only really changed the point of view. I'm sorry for any inconvenience!_

Chapter Two: Grackle

" _Ah_!"

Though Kiyoshi was known for her cowardice, the cub hardly moved after recognizing Shikamaru. The ponytailed ninja rustled around for a light, ultimately finding a switch and cracking his neck as I straightened up.

"W-what happened, Shikamaru?"

"I could ask you the same question. I know I scared you, but I _also_ know that you were scared before you even entered the house. Was anything – or any _one_ – the cause of that?"

I glanced down at Kiyoshi, who had begun to sniff about, looked back up to Shikamaru. The intense stare he stuck me with told me that he already knew who I had run into just minutes earlier.

"I ran into Kiba today, but _before_ you get angry," I brought my hands to my face, not because I thought Shikamaru was going to hit me, but out of habit. "I managed to get him to leave me alone today. All by myself."

Shikamaru had visibly gotten angry anyway, as his eyebrows scrunched together with disgust, but that anger soon melted into pride. When it came to the Inuzuka, it typically got so out-of-hand that I often needed assistance in avoiding a confrontation, usually provided by Shikamaru himself. He didn't even need to tell me how proud he was; the smile on his face told me everything I needed to know about how he felt about my accomplishment.

"Choji told me you were on your way back, but that was forever ago. I was beginning to worry that something had happened, but I guess you could handle–"

"Forget about that! What happened when you told me to leave?" I lowered my voice, knowing full-well Temari was a mean spy if she really wanted to be. "I-it wasn't… serious, was it?"

Shikamaru glanced away and brought his hand up to the back of his neck to rub it.

"As it turns out, I didn't have to tell her after all. I don't know why I didn't see it before." I tiled my head in confusion, and Shikamaru sighed heavily. "She's jealous of you."

I blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

"What?"

"You heard me. She thinks that if she wasn't here to stop me, that I'd run off with _you_ instead."

I lowered my head and let this information sink in. Jealous? Temari, the fiercest, strongest woman that I'd ever met, was jealous of _me_? I crack under pressure. I'm insecure to hell. I don't have _close_ to the foundation that she has, being a significant part of Shikamaru's life as well as being related to the current Kazekage.

It was sudden, but I felt a laugh beginning to bud in my throat, and before I knew it, I had tears streaming out of my eyes as I held my stomach, trying to keep the laughter quiet.

"Jealous of _me_? You're _kidding_! There isn't anything to be jealous of!"

Shikamaru smiled when I looked up at him, and I settled myself into a chair nearby rather than staying on the floor.

"Temari has always gotten particularly huffy when I mentioned you or talked to you… it all makes sense now. Jeez, women and this jealousy thing… what is _with_ that?"

I nodded, putting my hand beneath my chin as if it was a resting place.

"I suppose it makes sense as to why she irrationally hates me… yet, I still can't make much sense of it. Me and you – we're just really close." I glanced quickly at him as he took a seat by my feet and allowed Kiyoshi to crawl up to him. "Even _I_ can see how much you love her."

Shikamaru closed his eyes and huffed quietly, a gentle smile crawling into his features.

"I just wish she could see what _you_ can, Kairi."

It was silent as I watched Kiyoshi rub her face on Shikamaru's chest as she climbed into his lap, continuously purring as she settled down.

"What are you going to do about it?" I asked him, and his eyebrows shot up as if I had slapped him. "You _have_ thought about how to fix it, right? I mean, _I_ could confront her about it, but I don't think that would end too well considering our history."

Shikamaru slowly allowed his eyebrows to drop from their surprised position and I shook myself awake when I saw the conviction in his eyes. The lazy ninja never appeared to be particularly motivated to do anything, and to see the fire in his eyes that was similar to that of Naruto's was unnerving.

"Yeah, I have."

"And just _what_ are you planning on, Shikamaru?"

I shot up as Temari appeared from upstairs in her bathrobe. Her hair was down as if she was ready for bed, and Shikamaru stood up, blocking my view.

"Eavesdropping is impolite, you know," he muttered, bringing his hand to the back of his head as per usual. "How long have you been there?"

"A while," she fired back, glancing at me before her eyes travelled back to Shikamaru. "Long enough to hear how you're _supposedly_ going to fix the rift that _I'm_ supposedly causing."

I braced myself for another fight, gripping the edge of the chair I sat in, but Shikamaru stayed surprisingly calm. He let out a quiet laugh, and even Temari faltered for a moment. I watched her guard go up as she braced herself.

"The hell are you laughing at?" She asked, her green eyes narrowing dangerously.

Shikamaru slowly stopped laughing and began to approach Temari.

"Well, I'm assuming that saying you've been here for 'a while' means you've been here for the whole conversation, right?"

Temari glanced at me again, and I felt that hate radiate off of her when she pointedly took her gaze off of me once again.

"What of it?"

"That means that you heard what Kairi said… that even _she_ can see how much I love you." I felt myself stiffen as Temari tightened her fists in response to his statement, and Shikamaru quietly continued without even waiting for Temari to verbally answer. "I know you, Temari. I know that you want me to prove it to you, because you're the type that doesn't settle with just words."

With that, he got onto his knee as if he was about to apologize, much like most of their fights ended, but I noticed something was different about this particular apology. He had only gotten down onto one knee rather than both, and I watched him reach into his back pocket.

"I'll have you know, Temari, that I love both you and Kairi as if both of you were my family," I watched Temari grimace at those words, especially because I was mentioned. "I love her as if we were siblings, but I love you in a different way."

After doing some digging, he had finally pulled something out from his back pocket and offered it up to Temari, daring to meet her eyes:

"I love you as if you were my wife… and I'd like to know if you'd be just that."

My hand went to my mouth before I could make a sound. Temari's green eyes had gone from contemptuous to disbelieving as her eyes shot from Shikamaru to the thing that he held out to her.

For the first time, I saw that Temari was void of words. She stared at whatever he held out to her until she shook her head, appearing to clear it.

"T-this isn't going to fix anything, like you wanted! Feelings don't just–"

"I know," Shikamaru easily dismissed her insecurities. "I wasn't planning on it fixing anything. I wanted to let you know that it's not like that between Kairi and I. I wanted you to know that I'm serious about this."

"But-but we've only been together for–"

"Nine months and counting. I know. Just as I said I know you, you know _me_ , Temari. You _know_ I wouldn't make a rash decision just to appease you. I've wanted to take your hand for a while now, and I couldn't think of a better time to do it."

I watched this go down, my heart pounding for Shikamaru, but Temari only stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest.

"You wanted to do it while we were _fighting_? This isn't some sick guilt trip, is it? To make me forgive you? Forget it! Not to mention, why the _hell_ –"

My heart began to sink for Shikamaru, but he suddenly cut Temari off, something he doesn't usually do, and stood up:

"I'm not trying to pressure you into anything, but I'm sure as hell not going to kneel in this position all night, so let me know what your answer is tomorrow morning. I figured you'd need some time to think about it. I'll just put this on the kitchen table."

With that, he turned away from Temari calmly and disappeared into the kitchen, only to reappear with his hands in his pockets.

"Come to bed when you're ready."

I watched Shikamaru coolly walk past Temari once again as she stared into space and he ascended the stairs without so much of a glance back at either one of us. I could hear a door quietly close, and Temari immediately turned to the stairs and then to the lit kitchen before storming toward the kitchen.

Noting the quickness of Temari's pace, Kiyoshi followed as if she was about to be fed.

 _Should I get up and follow her? I don't want to get into a fight… but at the same time, there's something that I'd like to say to her._

Against my better judgment, I stood and followed Temari and Kiyoshi, but I stopped at the opening of the room. Temari stared down at the small box in her hands, surveying the piece of jewelry that Shikamaru had bought for her as a token of his love for her.

"I'll have you know he didn't mention _one word_ to me that he was planning on proposing to you," I whispered, and Temari whipped around to face me. "I guess he wanted to show you that I wasn't his influence to do this for you… or something."

Temari scoffed at me and turned her back, shutting the box.

"Tch. Was there something that you _wanted_?"

I bit my tongue. I knew Temari was sensitive and huffy as it was, but I honestly wanted to say something rude, though I knew it wasn't the time or place. Instead, I held back and said what I needed to say:

"Shikamaru, I've known him for a while. I knew as soon as both of you started dating that you were special to him."

"Since _when_ was it _your_ business, Kairi?" Temari's fingers clenched the box as her arms dropped to her sides. "After all, _you're_ the whole reason why–"

"Don't worry, you don't have to tell _me_ ," I began to get snippy; she was starting to get on my nerves now. "I don't care about what you think about me. It's not _about_ me right now. This is about you and Shikamaru. You can make _whatever_ choice you want, that's on you, but whatever you choose…"

I suddenly stopped speaking. No words came out of my agape mouth, and I knew it was because I was about to cry, over Temari no less, but there was no way in hell that I was going to get _this_ close to finally voicing my opinion to one of the people that I knew hated me the most.

 _I'm_ _saying_ _it!_

"Please don't make your decision because of me."

It was silent as I held my breath, trying to prevent the cries that I felt coming; Temari had _really_ pissed me off this time. I wanted to scream in her face, shake her, slap her, do whatever it took to make her see that Shikamaru loved _her_ this way.

Not me.

Shikamaru and I were just that – friends. I had never had feelings for him and vice versa. I knew that he had always loved Temari and I would never have even _attempted_ to tear that apart, even though on the contrary, Temari insisted on tearing Shikamaru and I's friendship apart.

It had finally dawned on me:

I _hated_ Temari.

I hated her attitude. I hated what she did to Shikamaru daily. I hated how she made me feel. I hated everything about her. I always had, but I'd always made an effort to try to like her because I knew that Shikamaru loved her more than anything in the world, but she couldn't even respect me enough to make me feel safe in the place that I called home before she was even in the picture.

The tears began to roll, even though I had promised myself that I wouldn't let _Temari_ be the reason why I lost my cool.

However, I watched Temari stare at me with those green eyes that held nothing but hatred for me, yet this was different. The look on her face was no longer angry or annoyed, but it was almost as distraught as I felt. There was no trace of the previous disgust that she typically showed me, instead I watched her eyes fill with sorrow.

It was in that moment that Temari truly saw me for the first time.

* * *

I shot awake on the kitchen floor, disturbing a sleeping Kiyoshi beside my head. I wiped away the remnants of sleep from my face as I stood, giving myself a grand stretch.

Last night had been nothing short of one giant shitshow, yet I had somehow come out of it unscathed. Temari's last words to me last night still gave me a chill:

"This doesn't change _anything_ ; I'll still need some time to get used to you."

Though it wasn't much, after the woman had watched me helplessly cry last night over the way that she treated my best friend even though he loved her more than anything, she had apologized for all of her wrongdoings, but even I knew that nothing simply changes overnight.

I can't simply forgive her for the emotional damage that she has caused both Shikamaru and I and she can't simply get over the fact that I am also an important factor in Shikamaru's life. That was something that we would have to work on.

"Finally awake?" I shot up to see Shikamaru waiting for me, standing upright against the wall with his eyes firmly glued to my face.

"Yeah, but–"

"Good. Lady Tsunade called for me so I've got to get going… but I wanted to tell you before I left: Temari and I are officially engaged… and it somehow seems like it's all thanks to you."

I blinked twice before giving a late reaction, which included an audible gasp.

"What? Don't try to give _me_ any credit! _You're_ the one who proposed and _she's_ the one who accepted! It's got nothing–"

"You would think so, though it seems like I actually owe you one. The Temari we both know would and should have straight up turned me down because of the situation we were in. I fully expected that last night, even giving her extra time to deny me. Yet, I wake up this morning to Temari telling me that it was _you_ who influenced her decision to marry me."

I flatly sighed in response to that last portion.

 _I_ _told_ _her not to make the decision because of me._

"Well," the ponytailed ninja cracked his neck and back before sitting down at the kitchen table. "She let me know that the two of you had a talk last night and that you both came to terms with your differences… and she told me she was willing to make an effort to, how did she put it, 'not hate the shit out of you'. I'm honestly surprised that you did all this without telling her why we're rooming together in the first place."

 _He's not wrong – we_ _did_ _talk things out, but I didn't think it'd make that much of a difference!_

"All I wanted to do was tell her that I'm not trying to get into the way of your relationship, you know?"

He cracked a smile, standing up to leave for Lady Tsunade's Hokage Mansion.

"Sounds like you knew what you were doing. Alright, I'll be back soon. Meanwhile, aren't you a little late for work?"

 _Work?_ I tilted my head.

Then it sunk in.

"Holy _shit_!" I scrambled up from where I sat, startling Kiyoshi, and bolted for the stairs.

"I'll see you later!" Shikamaru called to me, but I didn't answer him; how could I be late for work _again_? It was only the third time this week that I would be waltzing in late because I overslept.

 _It's a wonder they haven't fired me yet! I think it's because I'm the only one willing to work late hours._

I glanced at my clock, which read 10:45am, and I groaned.

 _Forty-five minutes late! That's a new record! Perfect._

I scrambled for my white qipao that I wore to work every day. It had served as my uniform and it was perfectly comfortable and I threw it on as I had the past couple of years that I wore it. I passed by a mirror on my way out, where I quickly redid my crown-braid, and I hurried out the door toward the hospital. The quick sprint was only a couple of minutes long, and I burst into the doors, ready to get screamed at by my pink-haired boss.

However, my arrival was hardly noticed as a crowd of nurses gushed to a familiar woman at the front desk.

"It's so pretty!"

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're engaged!"

"You two were always a cute couple!"

I slowed to a stop as the door behind me shut loudly like it always did and the gazes of my coworkers slide to me, and I watched the object of everyone's attention cast a smirk my way.

"Hey, you! Thanks for helping me out last night."

I stared back at Temari, trying to decipher what she was trying to say.

 _Why's she at my work? What's she planning?_

" _Kairi_!"

Ah, there was that sweet sound. The sound of being so screwed that all of the worries in your life disintegrate into a small squeak of:

"What?"

Sakura Haruno stood before me, her hands firmly placed on her hips. Those seafoam green eyes commanded my respect like nothing ever had before, and having her be my superior was something that I don't think I'd ever get used to.

"Exactly _what time_ is it right now?"

"10:53am."

"What time does your shift start?"

"10 o'clock."

My voice got smaller and smaller as I raced to think of an excuse this time. The first time I had been late, I simply told Sakura that I had woken up late, which was the truth. I'd never been hit harder. The second time I was late, I told her that my shift was so late that I was confused on whether or not to go in at my posted time. I'd never heard so many swear words directed in my direction, not even from Temari.

"It's all thanks to Kairi here that I'm engaged in the first place."

Temari's voice filled the void, and she suggestively rose her eyebrows in my direction. Sakura turned aggressively, and I willed Temari not to make this any worse than it already was.

"Pardon me, but this is strictly medical staff business. Unlike working at a restaurant, a late worker might be the difference between a patient's life or death!"

I watched the sly grin of Temari's widen and I knew that I would be getting fired if she kept going with this:

"I know just as well as you do that there hasn't been anything nearly _that_ serious in two weeks now. You're _over_ staffed because of the low amount of patients to take on as it is. Kairi is late because she was up with me last night after taking on a _double-shift_ , let me get this straight, _that's sixteen hours of work_ , for you that, if I'm not mistaken, no one else wanted to take."

 _She's channeling that inner-Shikamaru… uh oh. If I get fired for this…_

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, and contested that point: "If she wanted to work it, she should have been more prepared. Regardless of your points–"

The door shut loudly behind me as someone laid a hand on my shoulder. Temari brightened up immediately and my coworkers squealed as the engaged couple were seen for the first time in public together.

"Shikamaru, would you mind telling these kind people just what went on between us last–"

"No time," he hardly even looked Temari's way, and Temari's brightness faded for the same reason why I was immediately tense; there was something wrong. Shikamaru turned to me and motioned toward the door behind us. "Looks like Lady Tsunade wants to see you, too."

Shikamaru stared down at me earnestly, and in that moment, I knew that this was serious.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

I'm still trying to find my groove here – as you can see, I changed the POV. My bad for posting the story before figuring out what I wanted to do with it! We should be good from here on out, though!

You might have noticed the trend of chapter names – they're types of birds! Maybe that's significant. Maybe it's not. -insert vague I-know-more-than-you-do author noises-

I'd like to formally apologize for the proposal – that was hella corny but I couldn't resist. I headcanon Shikamaru to be corny, so it happened. It had to be done, but I'm not planning on resolving Temari and Kairi's differences immediately. This ain't that kind of story.

This was probably a super-boring chapter, but I wanted to get this stuff out of the way before I dropped a plot-bomb, you know?

Let me know how I'm doing so far and I'm truly sorry for the sudden POV change as well!

~Teafully~


	3. Starling

Chapter Three: Starling

The disappointed groans of my coworkers followed me out of the hospital as Shikamaru escorted me toward Lady Tsunade's office. I had been summoned by the Hokage before – mainly to participate in missions or provide first-aid to those coming in from other missions, but I quickly realized that this was to be much different by Shikamaru's demeanor.

"What does Lady Hokage want with me?" The light-hearted question fell on cold ears as Shikamaru shook his head. "Beats me. I thought she only needed me. Next thing I know, I'm shooed away to come and find you… and that's the other thing. I've been instructed to find Kiba and Naruto as well."

 _Oh no._

My mind began to get hazy as I pieced together the information that had been presented to me. There was a mission to attend to, no doubt, but Lady Tsunade had called for both Kiba and I to be placed on the same team!

"I know what you're thinking, but if Lady Tsunade ordered for the two of you to cooperate, arguing is futile. You know just as well as I that she doesn't change her mind just to accommodate clan differences. Just as well," he paused as we came to a crossroads in the middle of the village. "I think we should get Naruto first, for obvious reasons."

I only halfheartedly agreed; my blood was beginning to turn cold and my guard began to raise just at the mention of _his_ name.

 _After all of this time… I have done_ _everything_ _I can to avoid him. I don't want anything to do with him. I can't even hope to survive on a mission with him – that would mean having my guard up constantly, not even while I rest!_

Shikamaru turned his head toward me and wordlessly picked his pace up, hanging right and sticking his hands inside of his pockets. I willed myself to catch up, yet I couldn't see the point in hurrying.

 _The longer I take to get to Naruto, the longer it will be before I have to have my guard up._

"Kairi, hurry up. You _know_ how Temari gets when shit doesn't go her way – if you don't like that, you sure as _hell_ don't want to see Tsunade pissed off!"

Shikamaru had turned to face me, and I miserably caught up, though my feet still dragged across the ground.

"Listen, I know you don't like the guy… understandably so, in fact," Shikamaru had matched my pace. "but this is something that we've gotta do."

I nodded, but I found myself unwavering from my disgust.

 _We might have to do it, but I'm sure as_ _hell_ _not going to like it!_

* * *

"What? Granny Tsunade wants to see _me_? What for?"

Naruto had answered on our tenth knock to his apartment door, still appearing half-asleep and half-dressed. His bare chest heaved up and down as if we had scared him, but it seemed as if he was only surprised rather than fearful.

"She wants to see all of us plus Kiba. I'm assuming we're going on a mission that involves tracking, as she's got both Kairi _and_ Kiba–"

" _WOAH_!" I looked up to see Naruto's finger in my face, his azure eyes wide and absent of the sleepiness that had plagued them only moments earlier. " _Kairi's_ going with us? Well, why didn't you _say_ so, Shikamaru?"

Without even waiting for us to respond, Naruto bolted back into his apartment and scrambled for a room off of the kitchen, which I assumed to be his bedroom.

"Wait out there while I get ready!" He yelled back at us, and I tore a glance at Shikamaru, who only heaved a sigh, ignoring Naruto's abrupt change in behavior. "If _he's_ here with us while we get Kiba, the chances that you'll be pulled into a direct confrontation are cut in thirds. I'm doing this for the good of the team."

I chuckled at Naruto's muffled sounds from his bedroom as he clumsily got ready, and I couldn't help but feel that if _he_ was on my team, I wouldn't have to keep my guard up nearly as high.

 _I shouldn't be this afraid. It's not like just Kiba and I are going on this mission by ourselves – if that were the case, fear would be okay. I'm heading out with Naruto and Shikamaru as well, and I know that they wouldn't let anything unwarranted go down… right?_

Doubt plagued my mind; accidents can happen. What if–

"Whew, _finally_ ," Naruto stumbled out of his bedroom, fully-clothed, and let out a brief laugh. He had stopped my thought process completely as he attached himself to my arm, dragging me out of his apartment. "Alright, let's go!"

* * *

Naruto had stuck close to me on our way toward Kiba's home, not because he was worried, no, because he wouldn't stop _talking_.

"We've never been out on a mission together before, Kairi! I hope _you're_ more fun than people like _Shikamaru_ who don't value humor in tense situations!"

The obvious jab went unnoticed by its namesake, who only had eyes for the objective, just as Naruto had implied. I could only awkwardly laugh at him – while he was a great asset to my team and also the array of friends that I had managed to make during my stay in Konohagakure, he didn't truly understand the dynamic between Kiba and I.

 _As far as he's concerned, it's not anything to worry about…_

"Kairi," Shikamaru spoke to me as we approached a grand home, disregarding Naruto entirely as he kept walking toward the barren door of Kiba's house. "Don't worry about it, alright? He isn't going to do anything while both Naruto and I are around. You _know_ that."

"I know," I sighed deeply, bringing my hands up to fix my braid crown. "I'll try my best… I just don't… don't trust him."

"Hey, Kiba! Open up, it's _important_!" Naruto's shout caused me to jump backward as _his_ name settled onto my eardrums. "Come out here!"

There were a couple of tense moments, moments in which the hair on my forearms began to rise and goose bumps began to appear on my skin. Soon enough, a woman had answered the door, her wild hair mimicking that of the object of my true fear:

"What the _hell_ are you shouting for? A simple knock on the door would have been just as well! You _really_ haven't changed, Naruto!"

The woman scoffed as Naruto hurriedly apologized with a goofy laugh. "A-ah, I'm sorry, Mrs. Inuzuka! I guess I got a little carried away…"

" _Carried away_? Your whole personality is 'a little carried away', kid!" The woman laughed loudly, and I shrunk away from that booming, commanding tone of hers. "And since when was I a _misses_? I'm _single_ for your information, cheeky kid."

Naruto turned back to us, his lips poised in a frown, and I could clearly see the embarrassment painted on his features. Shikamaru stepped up, nodding in greeting.

"All the same, if you could please point us in the direction of your son, Tsume. Lady Tsunade wants to see all of us."

I flinched as I watched the woman move unpredictably, waving her hand in Shikamaru's direction. "Hey, Shikaku's kid! It's been awhile. How's your dad doing?"

"He's fine, and so am I. If you don't mind, this is urgent–"

The woman had begun to laugh despite the desperate tone in Shikamaru's voice, and I took a step backward.

"I remember back in the day–"

She had stopped in the middle of her sentence when she noticed me move, and I froze once again. Her intense gaze was exactly that of her son's, and I could feel that same disgust from her that I could him. Those lips that had originally curled up in laughter were now poised with a sneer, and a familiar one at that.

I had never met Kiba's mother, and I had always assumed that she was much like her son and the rest of her clan, but I suppose I hadn't prepared myself for her to be a carbon copy of him… or rather, the other way around.

 _That's_ _terrifying_ _._

"Mom! Who's at the door?"

My day was about to get all kinds of fucked up and I knew it, just from seeing the look on her face as well as hearing that godforsaken voice from afar. Shikamaru seemed to notice my tenseness as he took a glance at me before staring ahead at what I assumed to be the face of the person that I had no choice but to face.

"Kiba, what the hell are you doin', making us wait on you? Granny Tsunade wants to see all of us immediately!"

Naruto stood in close quarters with the Inuzuka from the moment he appeared from his home, his mother standing beside him.

"Us?" His head turned toward Shikamaru and I and I watched him feed off of my dread. He _knew_. "Well then, I'd better be going, ma."

 _I wonder if it's true that dogs can smell fear...?_

I turned early, not wanting to answer my own question or see the scrutinizing gaze of a mother alongside of her son focused in my direction. Shikamaru followed suit, not bothering to wait for Kiba or Naruto. He positioned himself beside me on my left, knowing that it's my non dominant side.

 _He's thinking ahead, too. He knows that if we do happen to get into a fight that I'm right-handed, so being on my left side is the prime place to position himself._

Taking note of how cautious Shikamaru was and even how relaxed Naruto seemed to be, I took a deep breath, exhaling through my nose. My guard was up, but so was Shikamaru's. I wasn't alone in this fight, if there was to be one.

"I'm assuming that we're being sent out on a mission, am I right?" Kiba asked, and Naruto hummed in agreement. "I guess so, I mean, Granny Tsunade doesn't typically summon us alongside of Shikamaru for no reason! _Plus_ , did you hear? _Kairi's_ going to be on this mission with us!"

My blood turned cold as the Inuzuka chuckled darkly from behind me. A separate scent crossed my nose and I realized that Kiba wasn't alone, but that his dog had also joined our posse.

 _I'm going to have to go get Kiyoshi for this one, and I know she'll be terrified, but we have to endure. We have to._

I typically left the cub at home while I was at work – I was still in the process of training her to correlate with me in two different ways; both as medical personnel and as a trained fighter. Fighting would be easier and come more naturally to her, but the medical aspect was where I was worried. While she can't necessarily help me heal any patient that I take on, the idea of her being a comforting aspect to them was what I strove for, and I was unsure how to go about it. That's why I left her be – but I guess I'm not exactly going to work today, am I?

"Pussy cat's tagging along, too, huh?"

The crude nickname that he had given me always seemed to drag out as he said it, and I couldn't even turn around to answer his question. The way that he always seemed to know just how fearful and afraid I was of him and what he could do to me had always put me off, and today the effects only amplified.

My hands began to shake, and I brought them together, clasping them before my body, so that he wouldn't pick up on that, too.

"Come on now," I heard Shikamaru turn around, stopping briefly. "We're _not_ doing this, Kiba."

I forced myself to keep walking, attempting to pay no mind to Kiba.

 _The first step is to avoid eye-contact. If I don't acknowledge that he exists, then he shouldn't–_

"Kairi!" Naruto caught up with me and fell into step beside me. "At first, I didn't believe what you'd said about Kiba yesterday, but now I _definitely_ see what you mean! It's like he's a _totally_ different person around you! I don't know how I didn't see it!"

"You _know_ I can hear you, Naruto," Kiba's voice sent chills up my spine, and I willed the orange-clad ninja to stop before he put me in a place I didn't want to be. "And while we're at it, just _what_ did pussy cat say about me, anyway?"

"Don't think you'd care to hear it!"

Against my better judgment, I finally turned around to see Shikamaru's features scrunched up in thought as he walked faster to catch up to me, though I could read the thought straight off of his face:

 _Did Lady Tsunade make the right choice in assembling this specific team?_

I was beginning to doubt it as well as I watched Kiba throw his hands up in exasperation, but he was stopped immediately:

"I _thought_ I told you to knock it off," Shikamaru snapped as he sharply turned around once more. "Let's not drop the team's morale before we even know what Lady Tsunade wants from us in the _first_ place."

 _He's trying not to sound biased; only_ _he's_ _that smart._

I quickly turned around again, focusing on the road toward Lady Hokage's mansion, but I looked down to see that my hands were beginning to shake, even though I had them clasped together as tightly as I physically could. As much as I tried to pretend that I wasn't truly afraid, I couldn't ignore the signs that my body attempted to show me.

 _I'm so scared that I can't even walk in a straight line without wondering whether or not I'm going to get jumped. It's pathetic._

Shutting my eyes briefly, I listened to Naruto's laughter and hoped that, even if for a moment, that I could be as carefree as he always was.

* * *

It was without another hostile word from Kiba that our team assembled in front of Lady Hokage's desk, where half a bottle of saké and some scratched off lottery tickets were the only things that I was close enough to make out sat atop of her paperwork. Her bright, golden-brown eyes surveyed the four of us closely, and I recognized my boss in Lady Tsunade, who, coincidentally, was her boss; both of their eyes held a certain commanding light to them that I would never _truly_ get used to.

"Alright, Shikamaru. Thank you for bringing all of you together so I can brief you on your mission together and save time."

I stood on the end of our line, beside Shikamaru. The air in the room seemed to almost harden as we prepped ourselves for the slew of information that we would be receiving.

 _So we_ _are_ _going on a mission!_

"Alright, so who's our client?" Kiba looked around the office as if to spot someone, but Tsunade scoffed at that. "Your client is me."

The air in the small, cramped room seemed to stop circulating as Shikamaru tensed beside me, his fist clenching.

 _So, it's important._

I gulped quietly, feeling sweat begin to bead on my forehead as Lady Tsunade continued on:

"I have given much thought to this mission, and I have decided to give it an A-rank classification. Typically, a squad of jounin only would be enough to fulfil this task, yet I have picked all of you for specific reasons regarding this particular assignment."

"So? What is it, Granny Tsunade?" Naruto hopefully asked, and Lady Tsunade acknowledged him with a nod. "You will be travelling to Kusagakure – The Village Hidden in the Grass – to make a special proposal for the good of our own village. You are to negotiate a peace treaty."

I held my breath for a moment and my heart sped up.

"Quit bein' so cryptic and get on with it already!" Naruto impatiently grumbled.

Even through Naruto's disrespect, Lady Tsunade surveyed the team before her, yet she paused as her eyes wandered over me. After a moment, she appeared to resolve to whatever she was going to say:

"I hand-picked this team myself because of the nature of this mission. Shikamaru was an obvious choice, being a jounin and a capable squad leader. Kiba, for he and Akamaru's tracking prowess and capabilities in battle. Naruto, for his persuasiveness, and Kairi…"

Lady Tsunade looked up at me with intensity that I had never seen before, and she said words that my subconscious had already murmured in the recesses of my mind:

"Kairi, because of your medical skill and your lineage. This peace treaty is directed specifically toward Kusagakure's Nekomura clan, and it would be fruitless to not send you on this job."

My world slowly began to stop. Though I had known it when she mentioned Kusagakure, I hadn't wanted to believe it. I would be going back to my home as a Konohagakure medical ninja, not as the young girl I once was.

 _What a fucking mess!_

Shikamaru seemed to realize what this meant as well, and he stepped forward.

"I don't mean to be disrespectful, Lady Tsunade, but–"

" _Before_ you protest, let me elaborate," she easily cut Shikamaru off and watched him back down before continuing: "This peace treaty would typically be given a B-rank classification because of how Kusagakure has acted toward us in the past; we sense no intentions of invasion or even for any significant danger to this team. _However_ , I can't shake the feeling that we may need their assistance at an upcoming time, though we are mostly at peace. They are a neutral nation, and I would like to take this time to sway them in our favor. The most efficient way to do so is to get through to the Nekomura clan, whose presence in Kusagakure is not only strong, but crucial to their military ranks. It is because their clan is known for their talent in both espionage and persuasion, and to have such an effort at Konohagakure's disposal is invaluable."

"Espionage and persuasion? Just like rats," I heard Kiba sneer quietly, yet loud enough for me to hear, and he knew it. I only hung my head in response, temporarily unable to form anything coherent.

"Lady Tsunade," Shikamaru continued. "What's your thought process in sending Kiba on this particular mission? The Nekomura and Inuzuka clans have been enemies for–"

"Decades." Lady Tsunade concluded, waving Shikamaru's worry away. "I know that. I realize the risks of this decision, but his tracking skills also happen to be vital to the success of this mission. I realize that Kairi, being a Nekomura, also possesses tracking skills, yet is primarily a medical ninja, but I don't approve of putting so much pressure on one ninja on a team of four, or even three for that matter. If Kiba is to be left here, Kairi would not only have to look out for the well-being of both you and Naruto, but also track and spot potential enemies at a rate that anyone not from either the Inuzuka or Nekomura clans ever could hope to achieve, as well as be the main source of bartering for this peace treaty. I send teams out on missions like this for a reason – to share responsibilities. To leave Kiba here would also require her to be on the battlefield, as a three-man squad is standard battle formation. To have three plus a medical ninja is key on such a mission where things could go sour easily and quickly."

 _That's right… one of the first things I learned in training to be a medical ninja was that a medical ninja should never be on the front lines. Along with that, it's that a medical ninja should always be the last to die in that sort of situation… after all, Lady Tsunade is the one who made those two rules up in the first place!_

Shikamaru opened his mouth once again, and I flinched when Lady Tsunade met his gaze, annoyance in her tone:

"That's all I'm going to say on this matter."

I had given up arguing the moment that Lady Tsunade had mentioned that I was a critical piece to the success of this task – there was no way out of this. Not only did my lineage connect me to this mission, but my medical skills were presumed needed regardless. No matter which way the duties were split, I still had a sizable portion of responsibility in this assignment.

Lady Tsunade surveyed each of us once more, before meeting Shikamaru's gaze:

"Although we are in peacetime, I've put this mission at the top of our list of importance, so I'd like the four of you to get ready and leave as soon as physically possible."

* * *

Shikamaru and I had split off from Naruto and Kiba only moments ago.

"Get ready and we'll head out in about thirty minutes. Let's meet at the gates in front of the village."

Though Shikamaru had reacted calmly, I could tell he was just as upset and confused as I was. He didn't say anything about it to me on our silent walk back to his home, but I could only assume that it was similar to the way that I felt.

 _I can't even think – that's how unsure I am. I can't trust myself to string thoughts together because of just how screwed I am._

We arrived at Shikamaru's home in due time, where Temari lounged on the couch.

"Welcome home Shika–"

She cut herself off when she noticed that I had accompanied him instead of going straight back to work – an odd sight to behold. I typically arrived home late at night or at an odd morning hour because of my unstable shifts.

"What's wrong?" Temari asked, getting up from her spot. "What did Lady Tsunade want?"

I hurried off upstairs to get ready and get my things together without a second glance back – Shikamaru would have to tell Temari that we were going away for a while, and who knew how long it would really be? The journey to Kusagakure was just a little over four days at a leisurely pace, and how long we could be staying could range from a couple of days to a full month, depending on the severity of the situation, which couldn't really be _that bad_ , though I knew somehow that it was worse than what I was making it out to be.

 _I know it isn't good that I'm going on this assignment. Having me go puts this whole mission in jeopardy… and it's too bad that there is no way to tell Lady Tsunade that without getting my ass kicked._

The only person who knew that as well as I did was Shikamaru, and even he seemed to know that there was nothing that we could do about it. Kiyoshi sighed when I entered my room; she had curled up on my bed and was in the midst of a nap when I had disturbed her, but she soon came to her senses when she noticed that I began packing my bag.

 _She knows we're getting ready to head out._

Yet, there were a couple of things that I hadn't done today. One of them was watering my plants outside, sure, but the other was much more important:

My horoscope reading.

I paused from packing to pick up the plain, worn book from my end-table. Had I not been asleep in the kitchen last night, the first thing that I would have done would have been reading today's entry…

A scrap of notebook paper marked where today's date was, and I read it as quickly as I could:

" _Positive energy is all around you right now, and it's protecting you from any bad energy that jealous people might be putting out. You won't have to worry about the unexpected popping up and throwing you off your stride – in fact, you might even welcome the one or two hiccups that are likely. Someone who has wanted your attention will be a lot more obvious about it today – try to make time for them to show you what they've got. They are out to impress you!"_

I had already scoffed at the first two words; positive energy. All I'd felt was negative energy thus far… and the idea that I wouldn't have to worry about the unexpected?

 _Right now, Kiba_ _is_ _the unexpected!_

Although, throughout the entire paragraph, one little thing stuck out to me – the last portion about how someone was out to impress me.

"Kairi! Are you almost ready?"

Shikamaru's shout caused me to jump, since I was already on-edge.

"Y-yeah, I'll be down in a moment!"

I stuffed the book inside of my pack, putting the thought out of my mind.

 _Whatever. It's not that important, anyway._

Kiyoshi whined at my feet, staring up at me with wonder in his icy orbs, and I couldn't help but think back on it even though I had just dismissed it; maybe it wasn't important or relevant, but neither of those are the reasons why I read my horoscope, are they?

* * *

After taking longer than anticipated to pack my bag full of extra clothing as well as count my ninja tools and pack a separate first-aid kit into my bag as well, I finally made it out of my room to see Temari standing there, looking sort of bored.

"Shikamaru told me everything," she muttered darkly. "To think, the day after we get engaged, he has to go out on a mission that could take anywhere from a week and a half to a full month…"

"It'll be okay, Temari," I paused in walking down the steps to study her face. At first, I was wary of her intentions, but now I could only see worry painted on her features. "Shikamaru will be fine. I'll do my best to make sure he gets back in one piece."

I continued down the steps, but Temari rose her voice:

"Make sure you do too, or I won't forgive you, Kairi."

The fiery woman retreated into her and Shikamaru's bedroom, but I stared after her for a few seconds after she had disappeared. Unintentionally, all of my worrying thoughts had gone into the deeper recesses of my mind as I came to a realization:

No matter how hostile it had sounded, those few words were the nicest words that Temari had ever said to me.

* * *

I took no more than five minutes watering my small garden in Shikamaru's backyard, and I left Temari instructions on how to care for every plant individually, since she lacked both a green thumb and the patience to figure out the secrets of gardening herself when left to her own devices. Shikamaru waited for me outside, his arms crossed, and he glanced at me and down to Kiyoshi by my feet.

"Are you sure you didn't forget anything?"

"I'm sure."

We continued most of our journey to the front gates of Konohagakure in silence, but Shikamaru finally turned to me. I could see the confusion in his gaze:

"Are you going to be okay, you know, not just with this Kiba business but–"

I nodded quickly, willing him not to say what I think he was about to say. "I'll be fine."

"…I'm the only one who knows about your history, Kairi. During the course of this mission, both Kiba and Naruto will need to be informed of it – not just for the sake of the task, but also because they, along with everyone else, need to know if we're truly to become allies with Kusagakure and the Nekomura clan. Are you ready for that?"

The weight of Shikamaru's question was much like a stone in my stomach, but I nodded without question, swallowing my insecurities and focusing my gaze toward three distant figures – the ones of my teammates who had already assembled at the gate that wasn't too far away.

"Yeah."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

Now, I know what you're thinking.

" _Oh no, Kairi has a really sad backstory just like every OC ever! Ugh, how redundant!"_

 _However,_ this is one of the backstories in my life that I am much more proud of because of how unique it is. _Thi_ s, my buddies and pals, is some intense shit. I can't wait until I can divulge it all because honestly, I thought long and hard about this one and I can't wait.

I know some stuff was super vague, but I'll let y'all know what's going on soon enough because I enjoy holding out on stuff. Yeah, I'm _that author._ I'll let you in on a little something though: I'm doing my best to drop little hints that will make hella sense once I finish this one and you go back and reread and you'll want to slap yourself… or at least, that's the goal. That's your only hint for today, folks!

Also, I'd like to thank you all for all of the kind reviews that I've been receiving! It's stuff like that that makes it much easier for me to write and feel good about what I'm putting down. Thanks again! (PS: reviews make me update faster!) ((no, I'm not joking!))

~Teafully~


	4. Duck

Chapter Four: Duck

"Took you long enough."

I had attempted to prepare myself for the long hours that I would be spending on high alert just in case a _certain somebody_ wanted to try something, but I don't think I'd get used to the way his eyes stared straight at me as if he was waiting for me to look away before jumping me.

 _Get used to it… it's not going to change._

"We're here now, and it hasn't even been thirty minutes yet." Shikamaru pointedly glanced at Kiba, who rolled his eyes. "Now, if you all are ready, we'd better head out. Kusagakure isn't exactly a stone's throw away, you know."

I quickly fell into step with Shikamaru, but I took one last look at the gates to Konohagakure.

 _I'll return to this place completely different, I know that for sure… if I return at all, that is._

I shivered, shaking the thought out of my head. Though this was an A-rank mission, Lady Tsunade had specified that there would be little danger to us… but what she didn't know was that she didn't take one thing into account: my lineage.

There wouldn't be a simple meet and greet with the Nekomura clan like she thought simply because _I_ was with this squad.

"Hey, what's with the face?" With a nudge to my shoulder, I realized that Naruto had caught up to me. "No, I'm fine," I quickly recovered, shooting Naruto a smile. "I'm just thinking about how difficult it is to walk there."

The lame excuse felt sour on my tongue, and Kiyoshi paused to stare up at me. The faint mewl she let out was indecipherable, and she weaved in and out between my feet as I kept walking.

"Say, Kairi!" Naruto had suddenly stopped and held his fist out to me, flinging his index finger out like it was hooked up to a spring and poked my nose. "You're from the Nekomura clan, right? What's it like? Is it easy to get to?"

My gaze dragged itself reluctantly to Shikamaru, who had stopped beside Kiba. The slightest twitch of his eyebrows gave away his worry as well.

 _I'm going to have to tell them sometime, but not now. I'll be honest when we get closer to our destination._

"I-it's not anything special," I muddled around for a vague explanation. "It's surrounded by trees and stuff… kind of like Konohagakure, but much denser–"

"That's not what he asked." Kiba had stepped toward me, and I flinched when the anger in his posture tensed. "He asked what it was like. That means city life, customs, things that we should be careful of. You know, things that _actually matter to this mission._ "

The rebuke stuck with me even though I had known what Naruto meant from the very beginning. It'd been obvious and I had tried to weasel my way out of explaining it. My fist tightened and all rationality began to disappear.

"Things that matter to the mission, huh?" I brought my face up and met Kiba's angry gaze. Shikamaru and Naruto stood silently, though I couldn't be bothered to see their facial expressions. "I'll tell you, since you're so _eager_ to know. A special custom of my clan is that of hatred for that of yours. I'm sure you know that… but what you _don't_ know is that people in my clan aren't _nearly_ as forgiving as I am. They'll kill you without hesitation just for your lineage."

Kiyoshi pawed at my feet, but I ignored the cub.

I had completely lost my temper, and even though there was a niggling voice in the back of my head that suggested how much I would regret this later, I couldn't help but give into the desire to finally get angry.

" _First_ of all," The snarl in Kiba's voice was obvious now. "I'm not scared of your clan. Second of all, they won't kill me. You think I'd let them just walk all over me?"

"What makes you say that they won't?" I challenged. "Just because _I_ haven't done anything to you doesn't mean _they_ won't."

The bloodthirsty stare that Kiba stuck me with was almost enough to make me snap out of my rage. _Almost._

"You haven't done anything to me because you're _afraid_ of me, _that's_ why! I'll kick the shit out of both you _and_ your family if that's what you're asking for, pussy cat."

"I'd like to see you try it!"

"Kairi–"

Shikamaru began to walk toward me, but I stopped him with a glare. Unintentional as it was, my fists had begun to quake as all of the pent-up aggression that I had stored up pertaining to both my clan and the way that I had been treated by both Kiba and even Temari had begun to leak out.

"Listen up," I addressed the whole team, taking a deep breath to prevent myself from getting inconsolably angry once more. "Even though Lady Tsunade said that this mission wouldn't be difficult, she was wrong."

My sudden burst of fury was beginning to subside, and I knew it was so when I felt the dread that I usually did when speaking to Kiba directly.

 _Lady Tsunade shouldn't have sent me. Why didn't I just tell her that having me on this mission endangers my entire squad?_

The answer was simple; I wanted to go back to my home. I wanted to face what I had been hiding from for so long. I wanted to see my family.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto seemed oblivious to my sudden explosion. "Granny Tsunade might be old, but she knows what she's doing! She wouldn't have put us together if she didn't think it would be beneficial."

"Forget _that_ ," Kiba shouldered his way past Naruto to stand so close to me that I could feel the disgust radiate off of him. "If you're so _scared_ , you can just go home, pussy cat. The three of us can handle this ourselves – if this task was so safe, according to Tsunade, we don't need a medical ninja with us, anyway… _especially_ one that happens to be as pathetic as _you_!"

Kiyoshi had stepped away from the confrontation, and I positioned myself between Kiba and the cub. This was the first time that I could think of that I actually wanted him to try and fight me – I wouldn't be holding back.

Though, the other side of me protested, knowing that it would only end badly. I couldn't even _imagine_ the difference in our physical strength – seeing as I focus primarily on healing and nurturing while this guy goes apeshit for a living.

"I can't disobey orders!" I snapped back, my fingers beginning to quake with the sudden need to acquaint his cheek with my knuckles. "Besides, I'm not scared! Not of this predicament, and _especially_ not of _you_!"

My voice echoed through the forest, causing wildlife to momentarily freeze as if danger was on its way. Both Shikamaru and Naruto stared between Kiba and I, wondering what would happen next, but I couldn't blame them.

 _They're hoping neither of us jumps on the other. In all honesty, I'm about to be the one doing the jumping!_

After I had risen my voice, Kiba appeared to cock an eyebrow in my direction. There was something different about the smug way that his pupils danced when I began to take a deep breath. It was as if he decided that I'd _finally_ _fucked up_.

"Funny," Kiba muttered, a ghost of a sneer on his features. "Somehow, I feel like you're lying, pussy cat."

I opened my mouth, the white-hot rage bubbling back over, but I was interrupted:

"That's about enough of _that_ ," Shikamaru pushed his way between Kiba and I sternly glancing between the two of us as if we were quarreling children. "It'd be _stellar_ if you two could even just _pretend_ to get along. We've got a long way to go, and you've got another thing coming if you think I'm going to listen to you two fight the whole way."

I backed down immediately; Shikamaru was right- it wasn't fair for he or Naruto to have to deal with us bickering – but not without a glare in Kiba's direction.

"Fine."

"Yeah, whatever," Kiba huffed, turning his back on both Shikamaru and I. "As long as she stays out of my way."

* * *

For the next seven hours, which were riddled with Naruto's frequent restroom and snack breaks, we travelled in near-silence, each of us entangled in our own minds. For me, it was wrestling with guilt and disgust. On one hand, I was upset about how I had let Kiba be the reason why I lost my cool and even how a lot of the things that I had said were uncalled for. On the other hand, he deserved it for all of the crap that I had been forced to put up with… and he shares the blame stemming from what we said to each other. I struggled with whether or not I was going to apologize to him, but I almost couldn't bring myself to be the bigger person because of what he had said to me.

" _Go home! We don't need you."_

The words echoed in my mind, though I knew that even if I had the _option_ to defy orders, we were already about seven and a half hours out of the way.

 _You know you thought about_ _actually_ _turning around and walking away like he suggested. Coward!_

The gross, degrading thoughts had bubbled up to their maximum, and the only thing that I had to counter them was Naruto. Since Kiba and I had exchanged words, Shikamaru ordered that Kiba take the lead and I take the back, with he and Naruto to act as our buffer, so that we wouldn't be subject to speaking to each other throughout the day. The change in our formation had allowed Naruto to keep me company.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" I skidded to a halt beside Naruto, who had stopped to catch his breath while addressing our squad leader. "Do you think we can make camp somewhere around here? It's starting to get dark out."

I kept my gaze trained on Shikamaru, though I couldn't help but allow my eyes to be drawn to Kiba and Akamaru, who had stopped a couple of meters ahead of Shikamaru. He hadn't said much of anything since our fight, which was understandable; I had straight up told him that the Nekomura clan just might kill him on-sight, but even _I_ knew that wasn't the full story.

 _I only said it that way to have even just one second of dominance over him. I didn't intend anything to come of it…_

"It's still light out. I figure we can get a little more distance in before we really should set up–"

"I really think we should rest," I cut in, glancing at Naruto and Kiyoshi, who had both begun to slowly sink to the ground, seeing as we finally stopped for a moment. "Naruto and Kiyoshi are exhausted, and at the pace we've picked up, the journey has shortened from four days to three."

Shikamaru studied me from afar, and finally sighed. "Alright. We'll find somewhere near a water supply and camp there."

I nodded gratefully, careful not to make the mistake of appearing too close to our squad leader, even though we were practically family. That wouldn't be professional.

At a much slower and relaxed pace, our team searched for a water source, which was found swiftly by Akamaru.

"The closest place that we can camp is about fifty meters away, due to the heavy underbrush. We can't have that, just in case we've got company. Even though this mission isn't supposed to be dangerous, I'm sure all of you have learned that letting your guard down proves harmful."

Shikamaru's orders were easy to follow, as we trekked back to where Naruto and Kiyoshi had initially begun to tire. The small, open field was perfect for setting up our camp, and we got straight to work, gathering rocks for a fire pit.

"Thanks, Kairi!" Naruto got my attention. He earnestly stared at me and gave me a bright, Naruto-smile. "I'd have been done for if you hadn't convinced Shikamaru to stop for the night!"

Through my own exhaustion, I smiled back. There was this odd, tingly feeling in the pit of my stomach when I answered back:

"It wasn't a problem – I was getting tired, too."

The smile began to fade off of my face before I could pretend that it wasn't, and Naruto tilted his head.

"Did what Kiba said to you upset you?"

I nodded shamefully. "Not just that, but I feel horrible about what I said back. I didn't–"

My throat began to go dry. _I'm oversharing. Naruto doesn't need to know half of this stuff!_

Naruto's answer was a nod in my direction. "Yep! You two were straight up _brutal_ to each other – I was almost afraid that if I jumped in, I'd be eaten alive!"

My ears burned in shame. _I really_ _was_ _too harsh – I didn't mean half of those things… especially the parts when I told him that I wasn't afraid. Now, I'm even_ _more_ _terrified of what he'll do to me, now that I retaliated so angrily._

"But uh, Kairi?" Naruto continued, and his earnest expression amplified. "Do you think that you'd–"

"Kairi," Shikamaru got my attention from a few meters away. "Come here for a second."

I turned back to Naruto, who seemed embarrassed to be cut off.

"What'd you want to say?"

"Uh! It was nothing, really!"

My eyebrow rose, but I quickly excused myself and ran toward Shikamaru, who waited on me with Kiyoshi by his feet. The cub whined, though I assumed that she was hungry, and Shikamaru crossed his arms across his chest.

"Are you okay?" His voice had dropped significantly, though both Naruto and Kiba were good distances away. "Yeah, I'm fine! Don't worry about–"

"Please." Shikamaru held a hand up to stop me. "What was _with_ that between you and Kiba?"

 _I knew he wasn't going to simply ask if I was okay._

"I lost my temper, that's all. Nothing more, nothing less."

The birds in the background gave the impression of peace, and I even paused for a moment to take note of which birds they were through sound:

 _Mockingbird… Lark… and I think I hear a Grosbeak, too._

"So, you've started watching the birds again, have you?" Shikamaru easily changed the subject, snapping me back into reality. The concern across his face was obvious, and I shook my head immediately. "No, just listening to them. I haven't birdwatched in years now."

Exasperation crossed his features as he turned and opened his backpack, pulling out four canteens.

"I brought these for when we've stopped for the night. Do you mind going to fill them up?"

 _He just wants me out of his hair for a little while._

"Sure," I carried them with ease, though Kiyoshi swiped at the straps that dangled in front of her face. "I can fill them if you can keep the little one occupied while I'm gone."

"Done."

* * *

The minute I had left the clearing, the weight seemed to slide off of my shoulders.

 _I'm finally all by myself._ With relief came anxiety, yet I shook that away. _I'm only going to get water and then I'll be right back._

The short trek came to an end when I began to hear the relaxing dribble of running water. I knelt down to fill up the first container, but a rustling stopped me. The scent that passed by my nose was easily identifiable.

"So, I guess you could hear me coming, pussy cat?"

My blood began to freeze as I came to a crossroads. _What do I_ _do_ _?_

"Well, it isn't exactly _difficult_ to hear your clumsy ass coming, especially when you step on twigs and leaves along the way," I tried to make it sound, you know, funny. As if I was joking with someone like Naruto, just to lighten the mood. "Besides, you approached from downwind, and if you were hoping to surprise me, you should have come from–"

I slowly prepared myself to apologize. Without even turning to face Kiba, I knew he was angry just by his aura. Naturally, what I'd said earlier was pretty infuriating.

 _Hopefully, if I apologize, he'll apologize as well. I just don't want conflict._

"You think you're _so_ smart, don't you?" The simple growl in his throat told me one thing and one thing only: I _definitely_ wouldn't be receiving an apology back. "I see what your game is, and I'm here to tell you straight out that I'm not falling for that shit anymore."

I had finished filling the second canteen, and by now, I had placed it carefully on the ground beside me and stood to face my aggressor. His jaw had visibly tightened, and the more confusion I showed, the angrier he seemed to become.

"Don't look at me like you're confused!" Kiba shouted at me, and I glanced behind me at the rushing water. I couldn't back away like I usually did. "You only _act_ like you can stand up to me when there are other people around. You only sass me when there's someone there to stand up for you. Guess what? _Nobody's around but us now._ "

Immediately, I turned to my right. _If I'm fast enough, I can slip away from–_

He grabbed ahold of my shoulder, clamping down on it and closing the distance between the two of us easily.

"Nice try, but I'm not letting you off this time, pussy cat." My hands went limp beside me as I felt the cold fear fill my stomach. He was right – I'd only said those things because I knew that he couldn't do anything at the time. Now... "Got somethin' to say?"

I shook my head frantically, hoping that if I complied, he wouldn't attack me. His grip tightened on my shoulder, and I let out a squeak.

"You sure you don't have _anything_ to say? Sure seemed like you had _plenty_ to say before."

The triumph in his features told me everything. I was trapped. There wasn't anything else that I could do but give in: "I–I'm sorry!"

I broke. He'd forced it out of me. I thought I'd have time to civilly tell him that I was sorry and that I'd made a mistake by saying those things, but being flat out manipulated into it now.

"Sorry for what?" The faux innocence that Kiba gave me gave me goose bumps. It was so genuine that I almost had trouble discerning this fakeness for the truth. "Care to elaborate?"

I took a deep breath. Now, it wasn't the fear that was taking over. Adrenaline began to course through my veins, and I realized that it was that fight-or-flight instinct that appeared to attempt to sway me.

It slipped. I hadn't meant to say it, but there was no taking it back once it'd happened:

"Sorry for getting your hopes up; I guess you still think I'm afraid of y–"

 _Smack._

My head ricocheted to my left, and I bit my tongue as the pain sunk in.

 _He just… smacked me!_

My right cheek began to sting, and so did my eyes. The sudden pain mixed with the fear that had been suppressed and nullified by adrenaline began to resurface with the tears that began to bead in my eyes.

 _I can't escape unless he lets me go. I'd never attack a teammate, no matter who it is! I'd_ _never_ _attack a teammate!_

"Don't piss me off _any_ more, or you'll regret it."

He let go of my shoulder, but took another moment to stare at my cheek… where he'd hit me.

 _I earned that smack. I can't be upset about it. I_ _earned_ _that. I shouldn't have said that._

Though, my inner thoughts contradicted the outermost ones.

 _I_ _wanted_ _to say it. I wanted to see what would happen. I wanted to see if I could stand up to him… and now I know that it's possible without shutting down._

Though, as soon as he'd let me go, I noticed a moment of disconnect: in this single, short second, the prideful, smug attitude of his disappeared. What I saw was confusion, as if he didn't know where he was… as if he didn't know why he had hit me.

 _What's that look for?_

Without a second glance, the superior leer appeared back on his face and he turned to leave, and I sunk to the ground as his noisy footsteps faded into the underbrush.

I filled the last two canteens with shaky hands, wondering exactly what just happened. I had already inspected the slap I had received, and it only stung because I hadn't expected it.

 _It'll go away on its own. I don't need to treat it – there's nothing_ _to_ _treat._

The blank, confused stare that he'd stuck me with before he had left was what really worried me, though. What had gone through his mind?

I shook my head, clearing it, as I geared up to walk back to our clearing. Though, I couldn't help but glance up at the sky and watch the birds go by.

 _If only I could be like them…_

* * *

After their altercation, Kiba made the short trek back toward the camp, but it was shortly interrupted:

"Hey, Kiba!" Naruto sped toward him, staring around. "Do you know where Kairi is? Shikamaru said he sent her out to get some water for us, but it's taking her a long time… and I had to tell her something, too!"

"As if I care."

Naruto only seemed to get more curious and talkative the more Kiba denied seeing her.

"So, you _have_ seen her! Where?"

"She should be back in a bit, don't worry about it. She can take care of herself, you know."

"Well… I know that! It's just…" Naruto stopped there. "Just that, you know… I was about to ask her if she'd ever like me. You know, like more than a friend."

Kiba actually had to stop and stare at his blonde friend. Was he _really_ this stupid?

"You're serious?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, she's pretty and she doesn't treat me like garbage, why not? I'm just trying to broaden my horizons. Remember when I dated Sakura?"

Kiba laughed at that. "I remember the time you told me she had to dump you because of Sas–"

Naruto hit him with a glare. "She told me she 'wasn't ready for a relationship', which is fair considering her reasoning."

"Didn't you cry for a couple of days–?"

"I said it was _fair_ , not _good_ ," Naruto dismissed that, but went on. "But, Kairi! We haven't talked much, but I've just been thinking that since she's so nice _and_ she's kinda new, I thought I'd take a chance. I mean, I wouldn't ask her out _anywhere_ without _actually_ knowing if she'd be into me, which is what I was going to ask her!"

Kiba had stopped listening after he'd mentioned pussy cat's name. His mind kept darting back to their conversation both earlier and minutes ago, but with Naruto's babbling, he couldn't make sense of it all.

Shikamaru stared at both Kiba and Naruto from afar, hearing every bit of their conversation, and approached the two.

"Naruto, do you _really_ think you stand a chance with Kairi?"

"Wh–? Shikamaru! Eavesdropping is rude!"

The ponytailed ninja smiled and shrugged. "That's beside the point. Do you?"

"Well, I was going to ask _her_ that!" Naruto defended himself, crossing his arms across his chest. "I would have been able to, if _you_ hadn't interrupted–"

"You think I couldn't tell what your intentions were? I could read the look on your face from where I was standing that you were about to do something stupid, so I saved you and sent Kairi out to get us some water. You should be _thanking_ me."

Naruto grimaced, but declined to say much else, though Shikamaru turned to Kiba.

"So, you came from the direction that I sent Kairi in. Did you see her?"

The lie floated around in his headspace – of course he didn't see her. Why would he admit to seeing her knowing that when she returned with the mark that he had left on her face that _he_ would be the first suspect?

Then, nothing worthwhile would come out of telling such a bullshit lie, which left him with a difficult, on-the-spot choice to make: should he tell the truth… or hope to get away with a lie that pussy cat hopefully wouldn't expose?

* * *

I stepped into the clearing with all four of the canteens in my arms, and I noticed all three of my teammates stood together, speaking freely.

"…Did you see her?"

Shikamaru faced Kiba, and I knew that he had just asked about me. My throat tightened as I watched the Inuzuka pause, as if he wasn't sure what Shikamaru had said. I stood quietly, hoping no one would turn around and address me.

 _Did I walk into something?_

The question had an obvious answer to it – one that only Kiba and I knew. My chest tightened when he settled on his answer:

"No, and if I _had_ , I would have told both of you."

 _Why is he lying?_

However, my cover was blown when Kiyoshi jumped up from her comfortable position on her dirt ground and sprinted toward me. Shikamaru turned and saw me first.

"There you are; we were about to come looking for you." Shikamaru was the only one who approached me; Kiba walked in Akamaru's direction without looking back and Naruto just stood around, looking confused. "What took you so long?"

I bit my tongue. _I should tell him about Kiba, shouldn't I? He'd want to know if anything like this was going on when we're_ _not_ _on a mission, so why shouldn't I tell him now? He_ _lied._ Though, I couldn't bring myself to do it. The situation between us was something that I'd have to take care of myself.

"I got lost along the way." I laughed it off, trying to sound genuine. If Shikamaru was suspicious of something, he didn't let on. "Make sure not to get lost next time. I'm glad you're safe."

As he skirted over my face, his eyes landed on my cheek, and I could read the thought right off of his face:

" _Where the hell did you get that?"_

I braced myself for him to say it, but instead, he sighed and motioned toward the campfire they had started in my absence.

"Let's go put these down and we can all sit by the fire."

I shuffled away and did what I was told, carefully putting the canteens in a position where they wouldn't accidentally spill, and I watched as my other three teammates begin to sit.

"Hey, Kairi! Sit next to me!" Naruto waved in my direction, and I smiled. "Okay."

Kiyoshi weaseled her way onto my lap and I began to pet her. She began to purr as Naruto nudged me.

"Kairi, Kairi! Take a look at the fire!" I did as I was told, but stared back at Naruto, confused. "I started it! All by myself!"

I nodded. "That's pretty cool, Naru–"

"No, he didn't." Shikamaru answered simply. He flipped open his lighter, illuminating his darkening face. "He's trying to impress you, but he's failing miserably."

 _Impress me._

My mind flashed back to my horoscope, and I couldn't help but smile. It warmed me, the thought that someone like Naruto would even _attempt_ to impress me, seeing as I didn't know him very well.

 _I guess I've never really seen my own appeal – not since I left home._

The warmth faded to cold when I watched Kiba and Akamaru approach the fire and sit beside Shikamaru. He didn't appear any different than usual – to the naked eye. I slowly watched the realization of the lie that he told spread across his face through the drainage of his usual attitude.

"Hey, Shikamaru," I addressed my best friend playfully, and his face immediately went blank, trying to decipher what I was getting onto. "Did you mention what happened between you and Temari yesterday?"

He cocked his eyebrow in my direction, shaking his head. "It's nothing they would care much about."

"But," I attempted to steer the conversation _somewhere_ , even if it was at Shikamaru's expense. "Aren't both Naruto and Kiba friends of yours from the Academy? I'm sure they'd like to know."

Naruto had already been caught up in my sweet-talking: "What's going on, Shikamaru? What happened between you and Temari? I wanna know!"

Even Kiba had looked up from his thought and lightheartedly took his fist to Shikamaru's shoulder. "Yeah, you can't exactly keep secrets from the two of us, you know!"

"Well, we're engaged." The reveal was flat, as if Shikamaru could hardly care to let anyone know what the "big secret" was. "Kairi's trying to make it sound more glorious than it–"

" _Woah!"_ Naruto immediately jumped up from his seat beside me, his sudden movement blowing the fire in Shikamaru and Kiba's direction for a moment. "Why didn't you just _say_ so? You're the first to become Chunin, but now you're also the first to _tie the knot_?"

Kiba jumped in, too. "I didn't think you cared much about women, Shikamaru… much less settling down with one!"

I welcomed the good vibes emanating from everyone, and I sat back, enjoying it. It was a first, seeing Shikamaru publically embarrassed in the presence of his friends, as well as having Kiba a meter away and not feeling nearly the amount of fear that I would had we been in Konohagakure.

 _I hope our teamwork improves, just for this mission. Then, after all of this is over, everything can go back to the way it was. I just want us to be able to stick through this until then._

Night had rolled around quickly, given everyone's light moods and Shikamaru being forced to tell the story front to back on how he and Temari had gotten engaged. For obvious reasons, he left out the part that I had _supposedly_ been the real one who had done the "dirty work", simply because Kiba was present. I was surprised when Kiba didn't utter one negative word in my direction, not even when Shikamaru had split up our night shifts.

"Alright, even though we're still in the Land of Fire, the smart thing to do is set up a watch. We'll trade off every three hours in this order: Me, Kiba, Kairi, Naruto… and _before_ you complain," Naruto had readied himself with an excuse, but Shikamaru saw straight through it. "I'm taking first watch because I can clearly manipulate more shadows when the light from the sun and the moon have them in this position. Naruto, you're last because you're always full of energy and ready to go. Your watch ends when we get going in the morning."

I hadn't thought much of it, but it was when I had already agreed to Shikamaru's orders that Kiba would be the one waking me up for my watch.

* * *

The tents had finally been set up, though I couldn't even get mine to stay upright without Naruto's help, and Shikamaru put his hands on his hips, cracking his back.

"Are we all good?"

I nodded in unison with the rest of my teammates, though I noticed that Kiyoshi had already begun to retreat into our tent. I couldn't blame her; she was hardly eight months old and making one of her first long trips – she had an excuse to be exhausted.

"Alright then. Kiba, I'll be waking you up in three hours."

Everyone heeded the dismissal, and I crawled into my tent. It wasn't necessarily big, but it was enough to put down my stuff and make a comfortable sleeping area for both Kiyoshi and I. The silence was nice – perfect for my usual ritual.

I rummaged through my bag for a flashlight, finding one in my first-aid kit. Next, I fiddled for my horoscopes, and I went to today's entry, taking a pen from my bag as well and began circling things that didn't happen today and underlining things that did:

 _"Positive energy is all around you right now, and it's protecting you from any bad energy that jealous people might be putting out. You won't have to worry about the unexpected popping up and throwing you off your stride – in fact, you might even welcome the one or two hiccups that are likely. Someone who has wanted your attention will be a lot more obvious about it today – try to make time for them to show you what they've got. They are out to impress you!"_

I continued to underline everything, but I stopped, mulling over the last two sentences. A smile crept up on my face when I thought about Naruto. It was interesting, how I'd dismissed that this morning, but now it made a lot more sense.

 _I've underlined almost the entire thing… maybe horoscopes are proving to be worthwhile._

 _Worthwhile._

The word echoed in my head, and I dropped my pen, scaring myself with the loud thought.

Why? _Why_ had I just thought that? What the hell was I doing, _trying_ to prove myself wrong?

I took the book and the pencil and hid them underneath my bag as if I wasn't supposed to be looking at them. Kiyoshi rose from her brief nap, but I shook my head in her direction, hoping she would go back to sleep.

 _I don't actually_ _believe_ _these things, do I?_

Do I?

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

Nothing like a little vague-ness to end this one! I'm sorry this chapter took a while – I had to rewrite it a couple of times to get it to work out because I wasn't really initially happy with it at first.

Did I tell you all how nice your reviews are? No, seriously! Thank you so much for all of your support! I really appreciate it and I'm glad all of you like where this is headed! Please keep it up!

I hope this chapter was alright – I wasn't planning on having Kairi lose her temper so early, but that's okay. We needed to see a different side of her for a change! As you can see, her temper is characterized by using sass, but it's pretty short-lived. Maybe I'm going somewhere with that… there's your hint for this chapter.

Figuring out Kairi's cryptic-ness? I'm trying not to make it easy, so don't feel bad if it's confusing or anything. I hope it comes off as interesting and not annoying. There are a lot of things that I'm planning on letting onto in the next couple of chapters that are, you know, pretty important. Hopefully you like what I'm doing!

Though this story is not in third-person, I used to do the random POV change that I just did so that I have an opportunity to show you a little bit of what goes on when Kairi isn't around, because, you know, the world still turns without the main character and I'd miss out on some extra stuff. I hope it isn't annoying or anything! It won't happen a lot, but I'll let you guys onto some stuff while I'm at it.

Thanks for your awesome reviews again, and next chapter will be much easier to write!

~Teafully~


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